The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) organized the National Workshop on Advancing Energy-Efficient Retrofits and Sustainable Building Codes in collaboration with TERI - The Energy and Resources Institute and Pledge4Earth as knowledge partners. Held on February 28, 2025, at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi, the workshop served as a crucial platform for government agencies, policymakers, industry leaders, and technical experts to discuss strategies for scaling energy-efficient retrofitting across the country.

Launched at the National Conference on Sustainable Cooling & Energy Efficiency on February 21, 2025, the Energy-Efficient Retrofit Manuals were unveiled by:

• Shri Manohar Lal, Hon'ble Minister of Power, Government of India
• Shri Shripad Naik, Hon'ble Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy
• Shri Pankaj Agarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Power

Sustainable Buildings division, TERI organized a thematic track at WSDS 2025 on 'Integrated Approach Towards Achieving Energy Efficiency and Thermal Comfort'. The session was commenced with a welcome address by Mr. Sanjay Seth, Senior Director at TERI and Vice President of the GRIHA Council, who set the stage for insightful discussions on sustainable building practices. This was followed by a keynote address from Dr. Shailesh Kumar Agrawal, Executive Director, BMTPC (MoHUA), emphasizing the urgent need to integrate energy-efficient strategies to support India's rapid urbanization and climate commitments. Building on this, Ms. Shabnam Bassi, Director of the Sustainable Buildings Division at TERI, provided an overview of TERI's ongoing initiatives in the sector. She highlighted the importance of a research-driven approach that integrates mitigation, adaptation, and evaluation, forming a continuous feedback loop to drive impactful change in the built environment.

A key highlight of the session was the MoU signing between TERI and the Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Producers Association (AACPA), reinforcing a shared commitment to promote sustainable AAC blocks that enhance insulation and reduce embodied carbon. Mr. Siddharth Bansal (Magicrete) emphasized the role of AAC in energy efficiency and circular economy practices, underscoring its potential for large-scale adoption.

The event also saw the launch of the Skyscanner Report for Chennai, the second regional study following Gurugram. Mr. Ankit Bhalla from the GRIHA Council presented insights on climate-responsive daylighting optimization, based on 15 global sky conditions. He emphasized the need for region-specific modeling to enhance building performance and efficiency.

The session concluded with a dynamic panel discussion moderated by Mr. Sanjay Seth, featuring experts from BEE, CPWD, and industry leaders from Saint-Gobain Group, Glazing Society of India, and Somfy Group. Panelists explored ECBC adoption, advancements in smart glazing and shading solutions, material innovation, and financial mechanisms to scale energy-efficient building solutions. The discussions reinforced the importance of policy-driven action, industry collaboration, and technological innovation to accelerate India's transition toward climate-resilient and energy-efficient buildings.

The Mahindra TERI Centre of Excellence (MTCoE) has successfully undergone the NABL audit for re-assessment and scope enhancement of its material testing facility. Following satisfactory compliance with NABL requirements, the lab has been assessed and accredited in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025:2017.

We are pleased to announce that MTCoE has received the NABL Certificate and Scope of Renewal of Accreditation. As an NABL-accredited laboratory, MTCoE specializes in Mechanical and Photometry disciplines in the field of Testing.

Previously, our Mechanical accreditation covered Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Diffusivity, Specific Heat Capacity, Thermal Transmittance, Thermal Resistance, Thermal Conductance, and Thermal Emissivity. We are excited to announce that our accreditation has now expanded to Photometry Testing, which includes Light Transmittance, Light Reflectance, Solar Absorptance, Solar Direct Absorptance, Solar Direct Reflectance, Solar Direct Transmittance, Solar Reflectance, Solar Transmittance and Solar Reflectance Index.

These tests comply with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Indian Standards (IS), and European Norms (EN) standards, further strengthening our ability to support advanced material testing. Additionally, all MTCoE personnel designated for reporting, reviewing, and authorizing test results have been approved by NABL.

This achievement underscores our commitment to excellence in material testing and our continuous efforts to enhance testing capabilities.

Various dignitaries along with their teams visited the Mahindra TERI Centre of Excellence (MTCoE) Lab to understand the on-going testing of opaque and transparent construction materials utilizing cutting-edge tools and technology. TERI team provided a walkthrough tour of the CoE along with a demonstration that made visitors acquainted with the various sustainability principles and design strategies espoused by the CoE building